Since the U.S. Congress suspended the 2.3 percent tax in December, medical tech companies have been making the most of the situation.

Mayo Clinic announced Monday the launch of Vitruvian Networks, a cell and gene therapies company that utilizes the “internet of things” and other digital tools to treat patients.

The Rochester-based medical organization’s latest project was made possible through a partnership with General Electric’s Ventures outfit. Company officials expect health care providers, biotech companies and pharmaceutical businesses will utilize Vitruvian’s personalized regenerative medicine capabilities to assist patients in combatting cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

“Merging GE’s operational excellence with emerging cell and gene therapies will enable faster, more effective and safer treatments for patients,” said Sue Sigel, CEO of GE Ventures, in a release. “Mayo Clinic is a key leader in patient treatment delivery in cancer care and regenerative medicine, so we are honored to have incubated this solution in joint partnership.”

Its research and development partnership with Boston Scientific, a medical device manufacturer that employs roughly 7,200 workers in Minnesota. Although the two’s “R&D marriage” has flown under the radar for three years, both companies decided to announce the partnership last month in part to show the benefits of what a total elimination of the country’s medical device tax could bring about.

Through a licensing agreement, Mayo shared its patented Galvanic Vestibular Simulation (GVS) technology with a Los Angeles entertainment company called vMocion. In a release, vMocion said its own software would be paired with Mayo’s GVS technology to create “a complete 3-D sensation of motion that mitigates [virtual reality] sickness in the vast majority of the population.” With the recent release of virtual reality headsets Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive, this partnership could become significantly rewarding for Mayo now and in the future.

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